STEFANO PENSOTTI

Middle Eastern and Venetian Glass Beads

by PANINI - PENSOTTI

Description

Round or irregular, decorated or transparent, colourful and alluring, glass beads have always been a fundamental part of jewellery and body ornamentation for many peoples of the world. Through a rich selection of period necklaces and varied pieces, this publication offers an extensive panorama of “glass beads” from prehistory to the present day, with a focus on famous Venetian beads.
The creation and use of glass beads is an ancient artistic tradition whose origins are lost in the mists of time.
The first long-lasting ornaments created by man were in fact beads, used to decorate the body as jewels or sewn onto fabric; these small coloured beads were easy to carry and always new and different, with their extraordinary variety in terms of colour, shape, design, material, and size, able to create startling juxtapositions and contrasts. Created locally or imported from Europe, the Middle East and India, beads were like delicate drops produced from a wide range of materials, such as shells, stone, metal, clay and glass.